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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Catching Sharks With Kids.


Matched with some of the best fishing products on the market today, add a little fun, water, and a pier and area youth we came up with a reel outdoors adventure:

Catching Sharks With Kids.

By Gary Anderson

We are a group of dedicated anglers, so dedicated we formed a company, The Island Angler Inc., to promote mentoring, angling, stewardship, responsibility and self-awareness through helping out those around you on a mission of showing ‘one hand washes the other’ through the actions of Positive Mentoring through Fishing. We are in need of a sponsor or sponsors who could provide us with enough seed money to produce a fishing based reality television show sizzle reel for a five-minute trailer, to be viewed by all the networks, as well Comcast. We have a major television production company committed to our task, with a crew on stand-by, when we raise our needed finances.

This investment is of a multi-fold paramount exploration into the introduction of either old products needed to be re-born or new products promotion, in that it pushes your product out through the major networks as a sizzle reel trailer. It would running continuously on all of my sites and affiliated Charter Captain sites, as well, our email listings and press-releases as a new event till picked up, to then be converted to an advertisement for the show and lastly, when production is complete on the sizzler reel for distribution. This production also introduces our program of Positive Mentoring through Fishing, our website The Island Anglers and its affiliates along with my own Inshore Florida, which is partnered with Anglers Legacy. All of the sites here a recognized either through the FWC or in part with our states initiative of Florida’s mentoring programs, as we are on a mission to make all anglers responsible individuals to our marine ecosystems, especially our youth, disadvantaged and those with handicaps.

"If you can dream it, you can do it." ~Walt Disney

‘The Island Anglers’ are a group of dedicated anglers, so dedicated we formed a company, The Island Angler Inc., to promote mentoring, angling, stewardship, responsibility and self-awareness through helping out those around you on a mission of showing ‘one hand washes the other’ through the actions of Positive Mentoring through Fishing. The Island Anglers website represents all of us who care for the environment while showing direction to the youth of today for a greater tomorrow, ensuring the best there is to offer for years to come. Stories, articles and such are all about fishing the city pier located in Venice, Florida.

From the website our numbers grew, visitors from around the worldview the site for constantly changing information on the happenings of the pier, as well did the number of youth involvement and sense of accomplishment of self. Anglers catches, stories and photographs of our youth in action helping each other out; mentoring themselves as well as those around them through deeds in offering advice to actual endeavors of stepping up to the plate, when needed. An example of this would be of one of The Island Anglers members saving a diver life last year as he was fishing from the pier. Taking his own life out of the picture Phillip Hansen jumped twenty feet to the water below the boards of the pier swimming to the aid of a diver in distress. Later after the event, Phillip said, “had I not learned the values and appreciation of what I have learned by fishing with mentors such as Jaime Fuentes, Mike Cavallo, Mr. Anderson along with my fellow Island Anglers, she might still be out there drowning. My mom’s skills as a diving instructor and a loving parent told me it was the right thing to do, so I jumped in.”

The Island Anglers, ranging in age from 12 up and are teamed up with area professionals in a search of an investor or individual to pitch out ten to twelve thousand dollars to become the Sponsor of a Reality TV First; Real kids, Catching Real Sharks off of a Real Pier. A Sponsor to back a sizzle reel for distribution to all the major networks, as a trailer and then, like fishing, we will see who bites.

You as a Sponsor would be investing in the philosophy of “Positive Mentoring through Fishing.” No actors here but some real characters in kids helping kids while older youth and adults pitch in while helping out, maintaining posture and catching some really big fish! With your help, The Island Anglers, are in need of aid to produce the first ever reality television show with real kids, catching real sharks, on a real pier in southwest Florida. Mentoring in the raw! Real baits with large rigs on gigantic reels hooking big sharks with kids half their size. Reality TV where it should be; in the real world, on a real mission to enhance the capacity of Florida’s citizens, visitors and those of our children alike to serve their responsibilities as Stewards to our Florida marine ecosystems through training-education-technical assistance-applied research and a public service with A Faith-based Community Initiative of mentoring!

If interested or need more information, please contact: Gary A. Anderson here at

The Island Anglers.

“Education is Freedom as Freedom is being educated in

Knowing the Rules. Educate yourself and those around you

In becoming a Responsible Stewart with the world around you, while

Joining us in practicing Positive Mentoring through Fishing with

The Island Anglers.”… Gary A. Anderson

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Fishing Lingo for Spotted Seatrout Angling by Gary Anderson

Ploop: The sound a feeding surface trout makes when breaking the water; much like the same sound bass to tarpon make when on a bite.

Sinkers: Lead weights used to keep live bait near the bottom or to add weight to a plastic lure to improve casting distance and action. D.O.A. C.A.L. pinch on weights work best in adding distance to offset hooks; a pinch on the shaft weight.

Setting the hook: Pulling on the rod (once the fish bites the bait) so the hook will embed slowly in the fish’s mouth. If a circle hook is used, letting the fish move pulling out line freely as you slowly retrieve back against the force of fish pull causing the hook to turn a circle and engage itself usually in the jaw.

Jigging: Bouncing a jig, round-headed weighted hook in assorted colors and either feathers, quill or a plastic tail attached to the hook end (rigged with baits or not) on or close to the bottom.

The Bite: When fish are actively feeding.

A Rig: A combination of various tackle, as well, a rod-and-reel combo is sometimes called a rig, as are combinations of lines, hooks, weights and leaders.

Slowing-baiting: Fishing a lure or live bait very slowly, barely reeling.

Slot: The prescribed or legal length at which a fish is allowed to become part of your bag limit.

Bag Limit: How many fish you are allowed to take home on that particular outing.

Gary Anderson’s personal Spotted Seatrout or Weakfish set-up:

-- 6-and-a-half or 7-foot rod with medium action and a fast action tip will have enough force to set the hook on a slow bite and enough backbone to keep your fish out of the weeds (mangos, oysters or other snags).

-- 12-pound test, monofilament line with a 50-pound mono saltwater leader rigged with a small hook (1/0) and quarter-ounce sinkers rigged about 18 inches from the hook or free-shrimped with no weight or under a popping cork, depending on weather conditions and area fishing.

-- A small reel, like a Pfluger.

-- If angling with a float use a 3-inch popping cork (use-weighted corks if you are not using sinkers).

-- While using live shrimp, pinching the tail slightly off before running the hook under the shrimp’s horn increases scent distribution and makes bait flop wildly.

The Quarry: the Spotted Seatrout

-- Spotted Seatrout are dark gray or green above midline, with sky blue and silver shading, white below, and numerous black spots on back with one or two canine teeth at the tip of upper jaw.

-- They are found in our inshore Florida waters over grass flats, sandy and shell bottoms. They move into deeper, slow moving current areas during cold weather, like that to the ICW, potholes, stream mouths and canals behind many a home in Florida.

-- Florida state record is 15 pounds, 6 ounces.

-- Feed mainly on shrimp, sand fleas, small crabs and small fish.

-- Spotted Seatrout can be taken on live baits as well, jigs, top-water lures, cranks, spoons and most freshwater bass baits.

-- Prefers water temperatures between 58 and 81 degrees

-- Longevity is eight to 10 years.

Regulations

Anglers need a fishing license ($17.50 for Florida residents) if angling from a boat or are not a resident of the state. Licenses can be purchased at places like Wal-Mart or local bait and tackle stores. The daily limit for our area here in SW Florida waters is four trout per angler between 15 and 20 inches in length. One of the four trout may be longer than 20 inches. If catching Weakfish (the other trout) limit is still four daily bag but slot is 12 inches for keepers.

Spotted Seatrout Season is Closed November and December.

For All Your Rules & Regulations from your Florida FWC

“FISH ON!”

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Balloons & Fishing Inshore Florida at Sharky’s on the Pier






Balloons & Fishing Inshore Florida at Sharky’s on the Pier

By

Gary Anderson




The evening started as most do when trudging up the ramp to the bait shop at Sharky’s on the Pier, with glanderous thoughts of bringing in the new year with the big one. My cart, as usual, was filled with a couple of mullet heads, Spanish and a bag of fillet of sail kitty along with gaff, buckets, gloves, a snap-float, rags, spotlight, terminal tackle and rods; the usual garb in fishing for sharks! The infamous balloons, left behind months ago when I learned of their destruction to our marine wildlife, replaced by the ingenious Aqua Gem Snap Float, a marvel to work with but as with balloons the currents and wind must work together or it becomes a perilous achievement. The wind was prevailing out of the south blowing in a straight parallel line with the “T” at the end of the pier. Light at best but no wind really described the blow and the current, partnered to the wind, was meandering in the same direction on a northbound trek. Looking out across the vast empty plane of inshore Florida waters were the occasional silhouettes of vessels crisscrossing the seas on journeys to somewhere as the clouds played tag with the setting sun to images of rods lining the rails, on the boards with the snowbirds and locals alike bidding the day a goodnight.


Looking for fellow Island Anglers, I spotted Mike Cavallo,
“Hey Mike”, I shouted as he answered with “Hey Garr”, looking about to find an opening to which I could cast, I decided to lean on a rail and shoot the…you get the drift. Mike said he had arrived about twoish and a few macks were caught along with the local lizards and the area was frequented off and on through the afternoon with tunny or false albacore or as we refer to the bunch as bonita. To us pier anglers, no matter what their name, these fish are but used for the same purpose, shark bait! Avet to Internationals lined the rails all in wait for that familiar click to scream, putting a gleam to any angler’s eye. “Any runs I asked?” Heads shook to silence and that answered that. I cut up Spanish into chunks (hand-sized pieces of cut bait) and placed one chunk on each pole. Casting the six (Penn 6/0 high-speed) in-between a garble of lines stretched across the waters of the pier, one heard the plunk of a splash and tightened the slack to see where your line was in conjunction with the others on the pier. If you are lucky, or good at casting into the night, your line might go right where you want it too but if you are like me, it is a crapshoot! I compare casting fishing lines to playing golf; some slice, some do not. I slice a lot. Get over it, it is a public pier and if you cannot handle this, go build your own. Overall, most anglers fishing on piers all understand because we all do it at one time or another, so it is put up with. What most, including me, do not understand is why I do it all the time. Oh Well, go figure.



On the south end of the “T”, groups of anglers were attempting to drop balloon sets in drifting their baits out into the abyss of the night in lure of a big shark. This is a practice that is practiced world wide in a bait delivery system to which one can use a 6/0 or larger to get the bait to the fish big baits. A 9/0 or larger reel is used with hundreds of yards of line spooled out and the balloons are released so as the wait begins with the bait on the bottom. As more and more anglers became aware of this method in catching big sharks and as equipment became more technical and lighter in weight, more anglers took up the sport of ballooning out. Thus, a problem is in existence in both the use of balloons and using the correct equipment or in some cases the lack in brains as to how to use a balloon in fishing. On the Venice City pier at Sharky’s, located near the base of the “T” at the end, is a big silver box with antennas, poles, solar panels and atop a wind vein. Most people with logic would look up at the wind meter to see at which direction they are pointing and gather that if the arrow is pointing north, the wind is blowing from the south to the direction of the arrow, north. Maybe these anglers had not the capacity to look up or wet their finger, point it to the sky and figure which way the wind might be blowing or maybe they did not have a clue. I’ll choose number three! Fifteen lines into the waters beyond the pier pointed to the west, on the bottom, in lure for a big fish and these anglers, on the south end of the “T” are launching balloons. Balloons traveling north with a nine foot leader attached underneath crossing fifteen rods pointing in a direction of intersection is a problem. If you are going to learn the talk, then please learn the walk and you will have a better time out fishing, the next time.

In most states of our United States of America, God Bless America, angling with a balloon is against the law and you will be fined, go to jail or both. In Florida balloon fishing, regulated by the county and not the state, except in the usage of garbage bags and that is against the law, so you need to check out your local regulations before blowing up that balloon. In Sarasota county, there is no mention to balloon fishing in their statutes or regulations. The reason ballooning in angling is unlawful and outlawed is because when the balloon is released it could become a mariner’s navigational obstacle, it pollutes our waters with more plastic or latex and is eaten by both marine fish, animals and marine birds. Once eaten, they usually die a slow death. No good, not very responsible and plain dumb if you asked me so why use the balloon. The garbage bag became outlawed because it is plastic, pollutes, and can obstruct propellers or water jet propulsion if becoming entangled. Balloons do not just float away to be played with in some distance land by unknown children. Balloons decay in the sun and saltwater, break and float along the currents of the waterways. Some balloons are biodegradable and that is great unless eaten for by the time it degrades in the throat of a bird or stomach of a fish; it is dead. Balloons kill so just do not use! Buy a snap float and save a fish. They do not work as great as a balloon but they are safe to your environment.

As 2008 was approaching, about an hour or so, Dave, on of our local professional shark guys reel started that slow moan to groan in a full-blown scream. One, two, three sets to the tip and we had a fish it was screaming drag like a runaway train, “Fish On!”




This fish knew how to shake his head and commanded the pier with all at attention to the bent pole and monster into the night. The battle ensued a good twenty-eight minutes as we all got our first glance of this rising shark to the surface. Snaking its body and thrashing its head this beauty was that of at least an eight to nine foot nurse. Nurse sharks are not of the best table fare and I do not know which book out here in Florida says so but believe me, they do not taste good no matter how you cook them, so gaffing or landing was out of the question. Anyway, even if it was the best meat in the world, how do you preserve two hundred pounds of fillets and who wants to clean a three hundred pound shark? Judging by her size, she was most probably pregnant anyway and needed to be released. Photograph taken, she was cut loose and all went quite through the rest of the night, with the exception of a couple of quick runs at the bringing in of the New Year.

Happy New Year to all and to all remember if in doubt, do not do it, practicing Catch & Release as much as possible ensures more catches for years to come.

“FISH ON!”